Another Group of Teens in New York Is Charged with Assault as a Hate Crime

According to police in Ramapo, New York, four Suffern High School students and one former student are being charged with assault as a hate crime. Detective Lt. Brad Weidel stated that on March 28, 2009, several teenagers were at a party in the woods when a handful of white teens targeted a Latino teen, assaulting him while shouting "white power." The victim was taken to the hospital where he was treated for a laceration and a concussion. He was released after being treated. The victim's identity was not released.

This attack occurred just a few days before Rosario Lucero, the mother of Marcelo Lucero, attended a court hearing for the teens accused in the death of her son at the end of 2008. Six of those teens have been charged with gang assault, conspiracy, and hate crimes. One of the teens, Jeff Conroy, who allegedly stabbed Marcelo to death, has been charged with second-degree murder as a hate crime. Conroy's trial will not happen for months but Rosario is hopeful that eventually, "justice [will be] done."